Tag Archives: farewell

Drawing Nearer to Thee: 2019 Christmas Weddings

Drawing Nearer to Thee: 2019 Christmas Weddings

Graduation, Christmas, weddings – December in South Africa has it all!

The end of this year – and the decade! – marked the conclusion of my first full year in South Africa. Twelve months ago, I never could have predicted that I would be flying to Cape Town for a wedding, or applying to a masters program in African studies, or joining a family reunion at the same farm where Judy and I reveled in fresh-made dairy last year.

All of these events and more impressed on me the greatest blessing of my Peace Corps service: becoming like family with the people here.

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The Yearly Remembrance: End of Year Festivities

The Yearly Remembrance: End of Year Festivities

My last month at site before the holidays was full of good-byes, hellos, and special moments.

It hardly felt like Christmas, in this hot weather, but the end of the year did bring a different kind of festivities…

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Conduct Us in Safety: Farewell Party & Freedom Park

Conduct Us in Safety: Farewell Party & Freedom Park

Peace Corps doesn’t stint in girding trainees for living life in the country with no corrals, no bumpers, no training wheels.

That included showering us with handbooks and booklets, packets and pamphlets: from safety and security, medical, community development, policies and procedures… Every time another stack circulated, grumbling would arise: ‘How are we going to carry all this to site?’ ‘I’m gonna have to hire a truck for my extra baggage.’

If you recall from my triumphant departure post, I had squished the sum of my possessions into two backpacks. I pride myself more than is merited on traveling with as few bags as possible–but this time, it wasn’t to be.

I cracked and bought a duffel bag. It was some consolation that a third piece of luggage would doubtless come in handy if I were to realize my visions of holiday hiking trips. Even better, the suitcase sufficed for piling in everything Pre-Serving Training had loaded us.

Everything? No, the stacks of books weighed little in comparison with the intangible gifts that came full circle in my final week at Bundu.

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